When you’re fired up fighting for a good cause it’s tempting to think that anything you do for the cause is justified.
But that’s seldom, if ever, the case.
Global warming gets plenty of media attention. We’re told rising temperatures will melt glaciers, ruin the oceans and force millions to migrate. To escape, we must reduce CO2 emissions and other pollutants.
But are the global warming crusaders right? Are their predictions based on accurate measurements and good science?
You will find sceptics in the scientific community and among the general population. And these doubters seemed to gain ground when “global warming” became “climate change”.
Much of the debate surrounding global warming is centred on the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which has published a number of reports through the United Nations.
The credibility of the IPCC has been severely damaged by revelations that some of their statements have little scientific validity. We’re being told they are based on assumptions, not measurements; or on careful selection of data.
I don’t know whether climate change crusaders will survive the scandals, but I do know it’s easy to cut corners for the sake of a cause. When we’re passionate about something, we sometimes go beyond the facts to make a stronger case or to attract a particular audience. It may work for a while, but our arguments will collapse when someone exposes our exaggerations and lies. Once you lose credibility it’s difficult, if not impossible, to regain your audience.
When it comes to marketing and publicity, impressions may be more useful than facts.
Photos of starving children or images of buildings shaken apart in an earthquake are powerful marketing tools. They have great potential for raising money. But the “victims” whoever they are, deserve to be served by honest representatives.
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